Apparatus for dispensing gas material



P 1941- v. c. WILLIAMS 2,254,587

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING GAS MATERIAL Filed Nov. 9, 1937 i FIG. I

F .24 3 v m INVENTOR VIRGIL QWILUAMS ATTORNEY meme Sept. 2, 1941 A assess:

APPARATUS Fog. D

ISPENSING GAS MA ERIAL Virgil 0. Williams, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to The Linde Air Products Company, a corporation of Ohio Application November 9, 1937,. Serial No. 173,730 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-1) This invention relates to apparatus for dis- P nsing gases stored in the liquefied state and more particularly to apparatus for vaporizing liquefied gases. I

In order to conserve space and weight, gases are usually stored in the liquefied state. This is particularly true in the case of oxygen supplies carried on airplanes flying at high altitudes. However,- when gases have been stored in this liquefied state, some form of vaporizing device is necessary to deliver the gas supply at the proper conditions of density and temperature. The usual gas dispensing apparatus comprises a container of liquefied gas, a vaporizing device and suitable utilization apparatus. The vaporizers heretofore used have proven inefilcient and unsatisfactory in many respects because of the low rate of heat transfer from the heating medium to the liquefied gas.

One well-known form of vaporizer comprises a tube through which the liquefied gas passes, and a heating medium container surrounding this tube. The heating medium may be steam, hot water or any other substance having a high coefllcient of heat transfer. Difficulty has been experienced with this type of vaporizer due to the tendency of the liquefied gas within the tube to develop a thin heat insulating film of gasifled liquid on the internal surface of the tube. This film diminishes or prevents heat transfer to the central portion of the liquid stream with the result that the central core of liquefied gas blows through the tube without being vaporized. Attempts have been made to remedy this undesirable condition by using parallel tubes, each having a small internal diameter. However, such a construction is awkward and heavy for airplane through the tube results and which includesmeans for conducting the heat from the tube walls substantially equally to all parts of the liquid stream.

It is, accordingly, among the objects of this invention to provide a vaporizing apparatus for gases stored in the liquefied state which appara-.

tus has a high coeiiicient of heat transfer from the heating medium to the liquefied gas, insures turbulence in the stream of liquefied'ga fiowing therethrough and is simple in construction, light in welghtand designed to adequately withstand any shocks encountered by its medium of transportation.

These and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part become apparent from the following description and the accompanying' drawing, in which:

, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. land illustrating a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a still I further modified form of the invention.

The form of the invention illustrated in Fi 1 comprises an external container it having heating fluid inlet and outlet openings l2 and I 4, respectively. A liquefied gas conduit It is mounted substantially centrally within the container II and sealed thereto at either end by suitable sealing means It. An inlet pipe 20, for liquefied gas, communicates with the conduit Id at one end and an outlet pipe 22, for gasifled liquid, communicates with the conduit at the opposite end.

In accordance with the principles of the invention, the conduit I6 is internally packed with an insert 24 essentially consisting of copper wire bunched in random fashion, and the entire unit is subjected to a solder dip before assembly in the container ID. The bunched wire insert 24 is thus removably sealed to the conduit II as at 26, resulting in a good thermally conductive contact between the inner wall surface of the conduit and the insert. Instead of copper, any oth'ersuitable thermally conductive metal wire may be used.

In operation, suitable heating fluid is admitted to the container l0 through the inlet l2, contacts and heats the conduit l6 and is exhausted through the outlet It. At the same time, liquefied gas enters the conduit t6 through the inlet pipe 20 and in itspassage through the conduit l6, receives heat by conduction through the conduit walls. The bunched wire insert 24 conducts heat from the conduit walls to. all parts'of,

the liquid stream. Furthermore, the insert It breaks up the liquid stream so that the liquid showers through the conduit. This prevents the formation of the atom-mentioned heat insulating film of gasifled liquid on the internal surface oi the conduit ll. Consequently, due to the efficient conduction of heat to all parts of the stream of liquefied gasthe latter is substantially completely vaporized during its passage through the conduit and gasifledliquid is conducted from conduit l6 through outlet pipe 22. The flow of gas through the outlet pipe is thus smooth and continuous and not composed of alternate slugs of gas and liquid as has heretofore often been the case.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 2 differs from that shown in Fig. 1 in that the bunched wire insert 24 of the construction shown in Fig. 1 is replaced by a twisted metal strip 28 of nearly the same width as the internal diam.-

eter of the conduit l8. This strip is twisted to have widely difierent pitches, to reduce the tendency of the strips to overlap.

The twisted metal strips perform the same function as the bunched wire insert 24 of Fig. 1; conducting heat from the conduit wall to internal portions of the liquid stream and causing the liquid to shower through the conduit l6 inhibiting the formation of a heat insulating filmof gasifled liquid on the internal surface of the conduit.

Still another form of vaporizing apparatus embodying theprinciples of the invention is shown in Fig. 3, wherein alternately oppositely projecting bames 32 are sealed to the conduit l6 as.at 34. These bailles act as heat conductors from the wall of the tube into the bodyof the liquid, breaking up the liquid as it passes through the tube so that the core ofliquiddoes not pass directly through the tube and substantially preventing formation of the heat insulating film on the internal surface of the tube. Another alternative, which, for the sake of simplicity in the drawing has not been shown, is to use Raschig rings in the conduit to break up the liquid stream and conduct heat thereinto from the conduit wall.

' It will be obvious that each of the above modes of achieving the objects of the invention results in a rugged light-weight liquefied gas vaporizer,

which is relatively simple and sturdy in construction, has a high coeflicient of heat transfer, and the external dimensions of which are no greater than those of apparati heretofore used.

Although several embodiments of the invention are disclosed in-detail, it will be evident that numerous changes may be made in such details without-departing from the principles of the invention. What is claimed is: v 1. In apparatus for dispensing gaseous oxygen from a storage vessel containing liquid oxygen,

Y a light weight vaporizer comprising, in combination, an oxygen conduit disposed within and in heat exchange'contact with a surrounding heating medium; and heat conducting means, essentially consisting of wire bunched in random parts of a stream of liquid oxygen passingthrough said conduit, said means comprising wire bunched in random fashion within said conduit, said bunched wire being removably sealed .to and in heat conducting contact with the inner wall surface of said conduit.

VIRGIL' C. 

